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THREE RIVERS EDITION/RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE DIAMOND ROUNDUP SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2020
POTTSVILLE LADY APACHES
Pottsville girls eye return trip to state finals
BY SAM PIERCE
STAFF WRITER
After making it to the state finals the
past three years, members of the Potts- ville softball team feel as though they have a bit of a target on their backs.
“Last year, we lost a really big senior class, so I think most people thought we would have a rebuilding year,” head coach Lyndsey Hill said. “But we were able to get hot at the right time, and that’s what I preached all year.
“I told them, ‘These conference games are important, but they are just practice games for district, regional and state.’”
Pottsville finished 19-9, defeating Farming- ton in the Class 4A state-championship game last season.
“This year, we have seven of our nine start- ers returning,” said Hill, who is in her second season as coach. “I’ve got some great power hitting stepping up to help, but people are gunning for us more than they were last year, for sure.”
Conference: 4A-4
Coach: Lyndsey Hill
Assistant coach: Garrett Hill
2019 record: 19-9
Returning starters: Seniors Shannon Lasey and Abbie Cain; juniors Sadie Saul, Meghan Pierce, Brenlee Barton and Julia Reynolds; and sophomore Ally Snyder
Returning this year is junior Sadie Saul, who averaged .506 with 7 home runs, and senior Abbie Cain, who batted .404 and had a fielding percentage of .943.
Saul is a catcher and will hit at the three hole.
“She has a lot of power; she is a strong kid,” Hill said. “And she will probably be even stron- ger this year because of the work she is putting in in the weight room.
“She really looks at hitting as a craft. She is smart about it.”
Cain and Shannon Lasey, a senior pitcher, have both committed to Arkansas Tech Univer- sity in Russellville.
POTTSVILLE SOFTBALL
APRIL 2 ..................................... @ROSE BUD APRIL 3 ................................. @CLARKSVILLE APRIL 7 ............................... HEBER SPRINGS APRIL 8 ............................................ ATKINS APRIL 9 ............................................ @ALMA APRIL 14 .................................... MORRILTON APRIL 16 .................................. GREENBRIER APRIL 17 ........................................ @OZARK APRIL 20 ................................. CLARKSVILLE APRIL 21 ............................... @DARDANELLE APRIL 23 ........................... LR BAPTIST PREP APRIL 24 ........................................... DOVER APRIL 25 ........................... @TYSON CLASSIC
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
Lasey had a 2.0 ERA last season with 189 strikeouts.
“Shannon is one of the best pitchers in the state, in my opinion,” Hill said. “She throws hard, but she is also able to spin the ball well and put it exactly where she wants it.”
Hill said Lasey is long and lanky, and
because of that, she has a lot of speed, averaging around 63.
“I am really excited about this year’s team,” Hill said. “The thing I am most excited about for this season is the fact that we have options, lineup wise.
“We have several different lineups that we can go with, depending on who we play, and that’s a good problem to have.”
Pottsville will have to replace Sophia Hamp- ton, who earned All-MVP at the state final, and Kaylie Pennington.
“Abbie Cain is going to slide over to the shortstop position,” Hill said. “She is one of the best defenders we have. She is tiny, but quick. If they hit it close to her, she is going to get a glove on it.
“She’s been like that since she was a fresh- man. She goes out for every ball.”
The coach said the team’s strength will be its pitching.
“Offensively, we have to put in a lot of one- on-one work in the offseason to get stronger and make smarter hitters,” Hill said.
NEMO VISTA SOFTBALL
APRIL 3 ..................................... PANGBURN* APRIL 7 ..................................... @QUITMAN* APRIL 9 ............ @SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH* APRIL 13 ........................................... DOVER APRIL 14 ................... @CONWAY CHRISTIAN* APRIL 17 ...................................... DES ARC* APRIL 20 ............................................. @TBA APRIL 21 ........... @WHITE COUNTY CENTRAL*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
APRIL APRIL APRIL APRIL APRIL APRIL APRIL
NEMO VISTA BASEBALL
7 ....................................... @CLINTON 9 .............. @SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH 14 ................................... @QUITMAN* 17 ...................................... DES ARC* 20 ........................................ @DOVER 21 ................................. GUY-PERKINS 23 ........... @WHITE COUNTY CENTRAL*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
TWO RIVERS SOFTBALL
APRIL 3 ........................................... LAMAR* APRIL 6 ................... WESTERN YELL COUNTY APRIL 7 ................................... PERRYVILLE* APRIL 9 ........ @JOHNSON COUNTY WESTSIDE APRIL 10 .......................................... PARIS* APRIL 14 ............................ FOUNTAIN LAKE* APRIL 16 ....................................... DANVILLE APRIL 17 ........................................ ATKINS* APRIL 20 ................................. JESSIEVILLE* APRIL 23 .............................. @BOONEVILLE* APRIL 28 ...................................... @LAMAR*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
HECTOR BASEBALL
APRIL 2 ......... JOHNSON COUNTY WESTSIDE* APRIL 6 ........................................ HACKETT* APRIL 9 .......................................... LAVACA* APRIL 16 ........................... MOUNTAINBURG* APRIL 20 ................................. @MAGAZINE* APRIL 23 ..................................... DANVILLE* APRIL 27 .... @JOHNSON COUNTY WESTSIDE* APRIL 30 ................................... @HACKETT*
TWO RIVERS BASEBALL
APRIL 2 ........................................... LAMAR* APRIL 6 ................... WESTERN YELL COUNTY APRIL 7 ................................... PERRYVILLE* APRIL 9 ........ @JOHNSON COUNTY WESTSIDE APRIL 10 .......................................... PARIS* APRIL 14 ............................ FOUNTAIN LAKE* APRIL 17 ........................................ ATKINS* APRIL 21 ................................. JESSIEVILLE* APRIL 23 .............................. @BOONEVILLE* APRIL 28 ...................................... @LAMAR*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
HECTOR SOFTBALL
APRIL 2 ......... JOHNSON COUNTY WESTSIDE* APRIL 6 ........................................ HACKETT* APRIL 9 .......................................... LAVACA* APRIL 13 ........................................... LAMAR APRIL 16 ........................... MOUNTAINBURG* APRIL 20 ................................. @MAGAZINE* APRIL 21 .............................. @WONDERVIEW APRIL 23 ..................................... DANVILLE* APRIL 27 .... @JOHNSON COUNTY WESTSIDE* APRIL 30 ................................... @HACKETT*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES